Olympian Jonathan Horton Talks Making A Living Off Of Gymnastics

We often interview people who've had great success in business, entertainment, fashion and sports. We like to know about their lives, their interests, what inspires them. In some cases, their examples serve as cautionary tales (see: Lenny Dykstra). In most others, we learn something from them that may help us better achieve in our own lives. With the London Olympics around the corner, we decided to connect with Olympians past, present and future to see what we could learn from the most elite athletes on the planet. They told us about how they train, manage mental and physical stress, and what it's like to be a career athlete. What we found is that a strong work ethic and a good attitude go a long way. Read on for the details.

Tell me about what it was like to transition from being a college athlete to a pro.Jonathan Horton (JH): It was definitely a big change in my life going from the college scene to really kind of being on my own. I got married and moved to Houston and started a whole new journey. It was scary in a way, but what’s great for me is just focusing on gymnastics and my wife. I’m really able to put 100% into what my goals are.

Do you think of gymnastics as a job?JH: This is definitely my job, but the great thing about that is I love my job. I’m able to support my wife and family off of gymnastics. But at the same time I do take it very seriously — it is a job for me. There’s a point in gymnastics where once you get to a certain age your body just isn’t going to be able to handle it anymore. But I’d like to continue on as long as I’m able to help the team out and be a contributor to the success of the U.S. team. That’s another big difference about not being in college: In college, you’re on the team, you’re competing for the NCAA — luckily I had a full scholarship and I was taken care of — then all of a sudden you’re a pro and you’ve got to take care of yourself. I’m gonna keep doing the same thing, keep training, and hopefully everything works out.

What’s it like earning a living as a gymnast?JH: It’s tough. Gymnastics isn’t basketball or football or baseball, where you can get these huge contracts and make a lot of money. There’s very few of us who are able to be successful, which is why so many guys out of college can’t continue the sport. It’s unfortunate because there’s just no financial backing. I’ve been very blessed with sponsors, and having been on the Olympic team while I was in college, when I moved down to Houston, I had people who were willing to support me with sponsorships and different endorsement deals. That’s really how I stayed afloat. It isn’t ridiculous money where you can live however you want — I still have to be disciplined — but I’ve been very blessed with having people to support me.

What sacrifices have you made to follow this path?JH: When I was younger, the people making the sacrifice were my parents. It’s not a cheap sport. Luckily, I had parents who made a lot of life sacrifices so I could continue in gymnastics. They saw the talent and how much I loved it. My mom and dad were extremely supportive. But my mom, she definitely made a lot of sacrifices, specifically because she wasn’t working at the time. She ended up going and finding a job so she could continue to put me through gymnastics. Now I’m on my own, luckily doing well, but like I said, we don’t make a ridiculous amount of money and I have to be disciplined with what I do with it. My wife’s in medical school, so that’s one thing we have to focus on. That’s the great thing about gymnastics: Part of being a good gymnast is being very disciplined — you have to know how to train right, eat right, sleep right. Now that I’m 26 and have a wife, a house and a mortgage payment, I’m very disciplined in other aspects of my life, and I think a lot of that has to do with how I was raised and the sport I’ve been in my whole life.

Let’s talk discipline. What is your workout routine?JH: My first workout starts at 9:00 a.m. every morning. I’m in the gym from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. We do strength conditioning, stretching, pretty intense workouts in the morning. We go back in the gym at 1:00 p.m. and train until 5:00 p.m. It’s all routines, repetition, doing the same skills over and over again, trying to polish and perfect everything. I head home, eat dinner, spend some time with my wife and start over the next day. I train about six days per week.

Does the same discipline apply to your diet?JH: I changed my diet drastically about three years ago. In college, I was a typical college guy who ate junk food all the time. When you’re in college, your metabolism is through the roof. I felt like my body started to change when I was 22 or 23, so I started meeting with a nutritionist and it completely changed everything. In the mornings, instead of a bowl of cereal, I eat egg whites, wheat toast, a banana. I usually get a chicken sandwich from Subway for lunch. For dinner, my wife and I will usually cook chicken or lean red meat with vegetables. I eat very clean foods, healthy foods and drink a lot of water.

Does your training change for the Olympics?JH: My training stays really very similar. One of the things about my sport that’s important is consistency — being able to do your routines consistently and training consistently. If you change it up or try to make everything more intense because the Olympics is coming up, you tend to put too much pressure on your mind and your body. There is a period of tapering when we’re not in the gym quite as long to try to save our bodies, but leading up to the competition we try to keep things similar to the rest of the year.